The application is designed to use technology to share this fascinating part of NYC’s past.
A new augmented reality mobile app has been released to combine the use of smartphones and tablets with the history of New York City in order to teach young people about the rich cultural history of Jewish immigration and other highly interesting topics from the start of the 20th century.
Other subjects covered by this application include the labor and women’s movements in New York City.
The purpose of this augmented reality game is to reveal the “secret history” that is held by many different buildings, neighborhoods, and other parts of NYC, at times when the device user is actually in the relevant location. The app is called Jewish Time Jump: New York. It works with AR technology and was created by ConverJent, which is a Jewish learning games nonprofit organization.
The augmented reality app was created with a grant provided by the Jewish education group, the Covenant Foundation.
This augmented reality app is a 2013 Games for Change Awards finalist in the category of being “Most Innovative”. The game is a new, high tech twist on the concept of a scavenger hunt. The players of the game must locate the required clues by heading to the various locations both inside and across from Washington Square Park. This is adjacent to the building that was once the home of the famous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory and that is today a part of New York University.
As the players of the augmented reality game move from one location to the next, they receive information about events, archival photos, and even characters on their mobile device screens. The content presented is triggered by the GPS signal of the device. Players are also able to use their mobile devices to view historical documents as they play. These can include flyers and old Yiddish newspaper pages (which have been translated).
The game is set around an important New York City labor history event. It provides an augmented reality experience surrounding the 1909 shirtwaist strike, which is also referred to as the Uprising of the 20,000.
UK’s Metro sets sights on mobile games
There can be no doubt that mobile games have become a very prominent part of the game industry as a whole. These games have come to represent a very lucrative market, encouraging game developers from all over the world to enter into the mobile space. While the game industry has been growing more engrossed in the mobile world, other industries are also beginning to show strong interest in mobile games. Such is the case with Metro, one of the United Kingdom’s most popular newspapers.
Company has high hopes for the mobile sector
Metro has long been in the business of news and print. Like others in its industry, Metro has faced several challenges in the wake of the advent of mobile technology. The company has managed to remain somewhat relevant with consumers through the clever use of technology and by appealing to a younger generation of consumers. Metro has taken note of the astounding prospects that exist in the realm of mobile games and has decided to jump into the deep end of this sector by launching its own mobile gaming platform.
Metro Play to serve as platform for mobile games
Metro Play is the name of this platform and it is meant to provide a new level of engagement to Metro’s current audience. The platform will support a vast array of mobile games that can all be access through a smartphone or tablet. Metro has invested more than $2 million into this venture and believes that mobile games can be a very lucrative way to engage a growing population of consumers that is heavily reliant on mobile technology.
Metro aims to be ideal hub for mobile consumers
The new platform is part of an overarching campaign from Metro that places mobile technology as a top priority. Metro continues to see consumers becoming more mobile-centric and aims to position itself as an ideal source for news and entertainment among consumers that favor their mobile devices over all other media platforms. Metro Play is expected to help Metro appeal to those interested in mobile games, an audience that has already proven itself to be very accommodating to businesses catering to their interests.
